One day at a café, Kanda Shuichi was helping three underachievers review their lessons. But since he had already given them a "boost" before, he wasn't pushing them too hard this time.
"Hey, Shuichi, you've been really busy lately. What have you been up to?"
Hasebe Haruka had a bad habit—she liked giving nicknames to people she was close to and calling them by those names.
Kanda Shuichi didn't really care if people gave him a nickname, but come on—this one was just awful.
ShuShu!?
ShuShu your damn mother!
"Can you not call me that?"
Kanda Shuichi raised an eyebrow, looking at Hasebe Haruka with clear annoyance.
"Why not? I think it sounds cute."
Hasebe Haruka tilted her head and put on an innocent look.
"Then if I call you Popo or Gaga, would you be okay with that too?"
"I think it's fine!"
Alright, then Po—
Nope, forget it. That sounds way too embarrassing. How does she say these things so casually?
"Uh, Haruka, since Kanda doesn't like it, maybe we shouldn't call him that," Sakura said as she gently tugged on Hasebe Haruka's sleeve, seeing Kanda Shuichi's helpless expression.
"Airi, you're so considerate of ShuShu!"
"N-No, I just…"
As the two started playfully messing around, Kanda Shuichi sighed and went back to his work. He'd been really busy lately.
"By the way, are you dating that upperclassman? That's pretty impressive!"
Miyake, who had been quietly reading while trying not to laugh, immediately froze.
After spending time with her, he had come to understand that Hasebe Haruka might look cool and aloof at first, but once she got comfortable, she turned into a complete chatterbox—especially when it came to gossip.
She had just finished teasing Kanda Shuichi into silence, and now it was his turn? Guess the tables really do turn.
"Uh… that's not a big deal, right? Yoshimoto from Class C also started dating a second-year recently."
"Oh, I know, I know! Yoshimoto Kosuke, right? He's in the same club as you!"
Hearing Miyake's reply, Hasebe Haruka instantly perked up.
"And he even said he's totally serious about marrying her in the future! Guys really are such simple fools—"
"Hey, what do you mean fools? I also plan on marrying Kaoru someday."
As Miyake and Hasebe continued talking, the conversation shifted from dating upperclassmen to marriage, and then to how many kids they'd have after graduation.
Damn it, Akito, why are you even entertaining her?
Wait… why do I feel like you're actually enjoying this, you bastard?!
"Talking this much is making me thirsty. I'm gonna go get a refill on my coffee."
"Let me guess—another cup loaded with sugar?"
"Of course! You need sugar to study! ShuShu himself said that. I just don't get how people can drink black coffee."
With that, Hasebe grabbed her cup and headed toward the counter.
But as she took a step forward, she accidentally tripped over Kanda Shuichi's backpack, which was lying on the floor. Her cup flew out of her hand—
And she fell straight toward Kanda Shuichi.
"Ahhh!"
With a sharp yelp, Kanda Shuichi instinctively looked up—only to see Haruka lunging toward him.
The next second, everything went black.
What… what just blocked my vision?!
At the same time, a faint, pleasant scent filled his nose.
What… what's covering my face?!
It was soft… and warm…
"Ahh! Gaga, are you okay?"
But soon enough, light returned to Kanda Shuichi's world.
Sure enough, all good things are just yesterday's dreams…
"Haruka, are you okay?"
"Uh, I'm fine."
Sakura helped Hasebe up and immediately started checking on her.
Normally carefree, Hasebe was unusually quiet, and her face was slightly flushed.
"I'll go get a refill…"
Remembering her original plan, Hasebe looked at her hand—empty.
Huh? Where's my cup?
Crunch!
A sound from nearby caught Hasebe's attention. Looking over, she saw that the cup she had dropped was now crushed under someone's foot.
"You all seem to be having a great time. Mind if we join in?"
Hearing the voice, Kanda Shuichi casually put away what he had been working on and looked in that direction.
"What are you doing here?"
Turning his head, he saw Ryuen walking into the café with Ishizaki, Komiya, and Kondo.
"Oh, nothing much. Just saw some familiar faces and thought I'd say hi."
Ryuen took a few steps toward Kanda Shuichi.
"If you've got free time, maybe you should be studying. I heard Class C hasn't reviewed at all."
"It's just a small test, nothing to worry about."
Ryuen brushed off Kanda Shuichi's reminder like it didn't matter.
"But I did find something interesting recently."
As he spoke, Ryuen walked right up to Kanda Shuichi, resting his hand on the back of the couch and leaning in slightly.
"Interesting?" Kanda Shuichi raised an eyebrow. "If it's interesting enough for you, I'd love to hear it."
"Of course." A grin spread across Ryuen's face. "Not long ago, I found a sticker-type listening device hidden under our classroom podium. That wasn't your doing, was it?"
Sticker-type listening device?
What the heck is that?
Kanda Shuichi frowned immediately. He was pretty sure he had never bought anything like that.
"Not you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I do something so cheap and sneaky? I'm not you."
Kanda Shuichi shot back without hesitation.
"Hah, who knows? Weren't you eavesdropping on me back on the ship?"
Ryuen smirked, clearly not believing a word Kanda Shuichi said. After all, he knew this guy was just as good at lying as he was.
"Oh, that? That wasn't eavesdropping," Kanda Shuichi said with a grin. "If you're looking for the one who planted that bug in your classroom, I'm afraid it wasn't me. And honestly, with my credibility, I have no reason to lie about this."
"Who would trust the words of an enemy? Ryuen, I think we should teach him a lesson."
Behind Ryuen, Ishizaki immediately chimed in with his suggestion.
"Shut up, Ishizaki. Do I need you to tell me how to handle things?"
"S-Sorry, it's just that Kanda's attitude was really..."
"I don't mind people who act on impulse, but you should calm down for now. There are cameras everywhere, plus students from different grades and store employees around. Don't forget how Class A lost those 200 points last semester."
"...Got it."
Then, Ryuen stood up.
"Whether it was you or not, I'll come find you again after this exam is over."
With that, Ryuen was about to leave with his group.
"Hey! Why did you step on my cup?"
"It rolled to my foot, so I thought you threw it away. No need to thank me."
Saying that, he swaggered out with Ishizaki and the others.
"Forget it, Hasebe. You really think you can make a brute like him apologize?"
Watching Ryuen leave, Miyake let out a sigh of relief. He had been on guard the whole time, just in case Ryuen suddenly got violent.
It wasn't likely, but it wasn't impossible either.
"Come on, San-san! Why didn't you say something to him just now?"
"Shuichi was already talking, so I didn't need to jump in," Miyake said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I was focused on making sure that guy didn't try anything."
He knew that while Kanda Shuichi could be strong at times, he had no stamina. So while there was no need to protect him, it was still best to stay alert.
After all the commotion, Kanda Shuichi lost the motivation to keep working.
"It's about time to head back. Or do you want another cup of that sickly sweet coffee, Hasebe?" He picked up his bag from the floor and started putting his textbooks away.
"Let's just go back. I can't even get a refill anyway, so forget it."
Their conversation was casual, as if they didn't care about the awkward scene from earlier.
"Akito, you're not going to club activities today?"
"It's so late now, things will be wrapping up by the time I get there. I already messaged Kaoru about it."
"Tsk tsk tsk, using your connections, huh?"
"What connections? You make it sound so bad, Shuichi."
Miyake shot back without hesitation at Kanda Shuichi's teasing.
"Honest words are hard to hear, but they're good for you. I'm just telling the truth."
"Yeah, yeah, I know you're the smartest one here."
Miyake instantly surrendered.
"You two really get along, huh?"
Watching Kanda Shuichi and Miyake Akito joke around so naturally, Hasebe Haruka looked at them enviously.
"Of course, we were each other's first friends at this school... Hirata doesn't count."
"Then let me and Airi join in!" Hasebe Haruka pulled Sakura Airi over, looking excited.
"I don't mind," Miyake said, glancing at Kanda Shuichi.
"If you stop calling me 'Shou-Shou,' then maybe I'll consider it."
"Got it! Looking forward to it, Shou-Shou! And San-san!"
Do you not understand human language!? Still calling me Shou-Shou!?
"Just call me by my name. I don't want to hear that nickname again."
"Tch, Shuichi, you're so petty." Hasebe looked at Kanda Shuichi's annoyed expression and finally gave in. "Fine, then you guys can just call me by my name too. Same goes for Airi."
"P-please take care of me, Akito, Shu—Shuichi."
"Hahaha!"
Damn it, you said you wouldn't call me that, and now you're doing it again!?
Of course, Kanda Shuichi wasn't actually angry about it, but after everything that happened with Kushida, he felt he shouldn't be too lenient with girls. Otherwise, who knew what things might turn into later?
So when it came to Haruka, the nickname fanatic, Kanda Shuichi firmly refused to go along with it.
Even if she tried to win him over with perks, he wouldn't budge one bit!
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You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu